This time we tackle We Got Married, the show where stars pretend to be newlyweds in front of the camera. It’s a show that girlfriday watches regularly but which I’ve only caught in snippets, never watching a full episode from start to finish. It takes some getting used to the premise when you’re entering it cold, but hey, that’s the name of the Variety Roulette game, right?

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EPISODE 118. Broadcast on January 21, 2012.

javabeans: Okay, so before we start, a few things. I have to say this right off the bat: I DO NOT GET THIS CONCEPT. I mean, I get it, but I don’t GET it. It’s a reality show about fake relationships. Huh?

girlfriday: It’s this weird setup where you and everyone participating are aware that it’s fake. And yet, it’s fascinating.

javabeans: See, I can understand the fun of watching a reality dating show, right? Like Bachelor (even though I hate that show). There are real feelings involved within the falsified setup and the hope of a real connection, even if it never works out.

girlfriday: Oh see, I hate real reality dating shows. Because I don’t care about the people.

javabeans: Like with Couple Making in Best Love — I see the appeal. Even if the couple ended up with no chemistry, it would be fun watching how they dealt with the show turns.

javabeans: Me neither. I just mean that conceptually, I see why you make shows like that. But a show where you invent a fake couple, and then follow them doing fake couple things, yet maintaining the transparent facade that they’re a real couple, all while consciously aware the whole time that it’s fake?

girlfriday: It’s because making them pretend to be married forces them to be close and friendly even when they’re not. So the conceit is that they’re play-married, but the reality is that they’re awkwardly thrown together in this really strange setup.

javabeans: But they’re not in a drama, so it’s not a fictional story. Yet it’s not real so there’s no emotional sincerity. It’s scripted to look real, which is what I hate in bad variety shows. Trying to have both sides of the coin and then eating that cake too. Um. You know what I mean. If the coin were a cake. Or whatever.

girlfriday: Yes, the scripted nature of the dates and stuff are silly, (and totally obvious). But the awkward interactions ARE real. That’s the appeal.

javabeans: Let’s get this show on the road. Okay so there are some Suju boys I recognize. Wait, am I watching the right show?

girlfriday: Well Leeteuk and Kang Sora are one of the couples, and sometimes the Super Junior boys are featured in their stories. So I guess they’ll be around this time? How come every time we do a Variety Roulette, the Suju boys show up?

javabeans: Do we have secret Suju radar that we don’t know about? Did somebody sneak something into our morning coffee?

girlfriday: I don’t think I have a Suju radar. I can’t even name them all. But I do suspect someone’s spiked my coffee.

javabeans: Okay, so Lee Jang-woo apparently is “married” to Eunjung. And they’re at a club. And he leaves… in the morning when people are going to work? Haha.

girlfriday: Yeah they’ve been a couple for a while. She’s shooting a music video, and he’s recently unemployed, since his drama Man of Honor ended.

javabeans: Ohh, that makes more sense. I like how he calls himself an unemployed guy, like he’s a normal everyday citizen and not an actor on hiatus between dramas. Wait, he’s talking like he’s actually married and he wants to clean the “house” for the “wife.” Is he referring to some shooting set or something?

girlfriday: They actually “live” in a house while they shoot the show. It’s basically an apartment as a set.

javabeans: So they go there once a week or something? Glug, glug, I feel like Variety Roulette has dropped me off the deep end and I’m drowning.

girlfriday: Yeah they set it up as if it’s their newlywed home, and just shoot the show there. Oh, one thing I should probably mention about the setup of the show is the studio commentary. So basically, when this show started, it had a studio setup and the couples would be present along with MCs to watch the footage and comment along. At some point they ditched that concept and went all footage, zero commentary, but that was actually super boring.

javabeans: They’re not very funny. I guess this is why superstars like Kang Ho-dong and Yoo Jae-seok are so good.

girlfriday: Well yeah. But at least this way (now with a studio of just MCs watching and commenting) there’s some running commentary along with the footage, which if you’ve ever tried to watch this show without, makes a world of difference. It’s weird.

javabeans: I guess you need somebody stringing along a narrative. So Jang-woo nags Eunjung about the messy house, and she reminds them of some tea they made three months ago for their 100 day anniversary. She wants him to bring it to her, and I guess it’s kind of funny how he’s the harried house-husband, and she’s the glam star in her makeup bossing him around.

girlfriday: It’s adorable how he keeps asking her not to hang up ‘cause he’s so lonely at home. Ha.

javabeans: I kinda wish they didn’t call each other yeobo so much because it feels super fake. Like they’re in a stage play or something. Although I do like how he asks her how to wash the blankets and she stutters for an answer before telling him to go online.

girlfriday: I love that she doesn’t know either, but when he complains about how bored he is, she yells at him that housewives do this every day, and to just turn on the tv while he cleans.

javabeans: Do the producers just give them a list of what to do every episode? Because obviously they wouldn’t really need to wash the comforter.

girlfriday: They do something couply in each episode, whether it’s meeting in-laws (their real moms) or going on a trip, or doing everyday household chores.

javabeans: I think it’s this construct — the obvious staged nature of everything — that messes with my enjoyment of the coupledom.

girlfriday: It’s sort of because it’s so obvious that I think people just see the construct and go with it. It’s weirder I think in shows that try to mask the conceit in some way. Here it’s an understood and accepted thing.

javabeans: Is Jang-woo trying to give his blanket a bubble bath? He just keeps pouring detergent into the bath, over and over…

girlfriday: Wait, he didn’t strip the cover off of the stuffing?

javabeans: Nope. He’s sleeping on the couch tonight.

girlfriday: Okay, this is hilarious. You can see that this guy has never washed a single thing in his life.

javabeans: I’m wondering if he’s going by stuff he’s seen in dramas. He wonders, all tired, “How do women all do this?” In unison, the commentators declare, “Women DON’T do that!”

girlfriday: HA.

javabeans: And then he takes the sopping wet blanket, which is still dripping onto the floor, and drapes it on the drying rack. In the middle of his living room. This is like watching a monkey trying to figure out how to get the banana in the laboratory cage test.

girlfriday: Oh my god, it’s dripping wet! I love that they show the perfectly suited balcony, all empty and unused.

javabeans: And then he puts a bucket under the dripping corner, like it’s a leaky roof?

girlfriday: And then he calls Mom, ‘cause he doesn’t know how to fix it.

javabeans: Oh man, Jang-woo’s Mom trying to help him figure out what to do is like me trying to tell my mom how to Facebook.

girlfriday: Pfft, she has to explain how to operate the washer-dryer like he’s a child. He really IS new.

javabeans: My question: If he breaks the drying machine, will his management pay for a new one?

girlfriday: Beats me. It looks like we’re about to find out. Is he really shoving that sopping wet blanket into the tiny dryer?

javabeans: He can’t close the dryer door on the overstuffed machine, so he wonders, “Can I run it with the door open?” What?!

girlfriday: Hahahaha.

javabeans: Good lord, he finally heads to the phone to call for help. TO A CLEANING SERVICE. Is he just going to outsource the problem?

girlfriday: He’s actually panicking by now. This is crazy.

javabeans: Especially since they won’t take it, since it’s already wet and technically washed.

girlfriday: He finally trudges back to the machine, wrings out a little more water, and then sits there, foot on dryer door, to keep it shut. Pwaha. He feels safe with that running for a while, and heads to the kitchen to work on the fruit tea. He’s gotta get it out of the jar somehow, and reaches for a giant soup ladle that’s way too big to fit in the opening, and I don’t know why, but that one thing puts me over the edge. He really IS like a monkey in a lab. I’m dying.

javabeans: It must have to do with his personality type or his way of solving problems, because he’s definitely the Try First, Read Instructions Later type.

girlfriday: It’s hilarious.

javabeans: A commentator says it’s like watching somebody stranded on a desert island. He takes out the blanket from the machine (tugs it out violently, more like) and puts it on the drying rack. Except… it’s still wet and drippy. Jang-woo takes out his phone, but instead of calling for help he takes a sel-ca photo with the blanket, like he’s given up on trying to fix this one.

girlfriday: I guess that’s his limit. He just figures, to hell with it, and drags the thing into the bedroom. Everyone guesses that he’s finally figured out he should leave it on the balcony… and he just leaves it dripping in the bedroom.

javabeans: If I can’t see it….

girlfriday: Right? And then he heads out, not caring that by the time he gets back, his bedroom will have a pond in it.

javabeans: And HE was the one complaining about HER mess.

girlfriday: I think it’s safe to say he left the apartment in worse shape than it was in before. He heads back to the club and brings Eunjung the tea he made, and she catches him staring slackjawed at one of her groupmates dancing.

javabeans: At least he’s equally slackjawed to watch her doing her close-ups… until he’s tapped on the shoulder by her groupmates and taken aside. The commentators wonder if this is going to tick off Eunjung when she finds he’s gone, but the girls (Jiyeon I recognize, the other I don’t) are here to give him advice on how to do better with Eunjung, since they figure he needs a few pointers on what makes her upset and what’ll make her happy.

girlfriday: They know she’s particularly upset about his kiss scene with Park Min-young and coach him on how to talk his way out of being in the doghouse.

javabeans: Is this one of those fake-upsets, manufactured for the purposes of this storyline? I can see how little jealousies can crop up in a cute way, but that seems like a stretch.

girlfriday: It’s a common thing for them to have little tiffs about, but it’s never serious. ‘Cause they’re all actors.

javabeans: Heh, so Eunjung finishes her take and wonders where Jang-woo went, and finds him talking to the girls. She catches the drift of the conversation nods approvingly, with the girls pointing out things he needs to do better. That’s cute. Then Jiyeon leads him in role-playing an argument about the kiss scene, so he can practice smoothing things over. Their suggestions are actually really good, like how the response to “I saw you kissing on TV” should be, “Oh, that? Her lips were so dry, that’s all I could think about.” The commentators point out that girls know that this kind of flattery is white lies but it’s nice to hear anyway.

girlfriday: He promises to try harder on their winter trip, and Eunjung comes out, sending him hiding in mortification.

javabeans: Haha, he’s so embarrassed I love it. It makes it that much harder for him to actually try those lines out on her later.

girlfriday: I can’t imagine he’d actually say any of those things anyway. He’s such a dude.

javabeans: I guess that’s all for this couple today. Next we open on a cafe, where four Super Junior dudes sit on one side of a table. (From left to right: Kyuhyun, Donghae, Eunhyuk, Sungmin.) Are they on a group blind date?

girlfriday: Oh it must be time for their sogaeting. So backstory: Sora asked these four Suju members for some favors during their last concert, to do things for Leeteuk that she wanted to do but couldn’t, like wiping his forehead or giving him massages and things, and in return, they made her promise to set them up on blind dates with her pretty actress friends.

javabeans: How cute. This I like, because you can see they’re actually nervous and excited about the blind date (even though they point out how weird it is do be on a date in the morning, haha). Apparently Donghae was so excited he couldn’t sleep, and both he and Kyuhyun say they’re going to treat today as real, without thinking of the cameras.

girlfriday: He’s like, “I’m here to meet my Fate!” So cute.

javabeans: They point out that it’s the ladies who get to pick their favorites in these group dates — so if they’re interested in one girl in particular, it’s up to them to make their interest known before picking time.

girlfriday: I love how serious they are, all, “Are we gonna fight over one girl?”

girlfriday: Leeteuk and Sora arrive first, holding hands and ignoring them, which they seem severely offended by. Or maybe just annoyed, since they’re yet to be coupled. Heh.

javabeans: Whoa, Leeteuk is 30? (I guess Korean age-wise.)

girlfriday: Dude, he’s gotta go to army soon, yeah?

javabeans: Sora explains that she asked about each member’s “ideal woman” type, and the boys say in fake-surprise, “Oh, is the date today? I hadn’t even prepared!”

girlfriday: Leeteuk’s like, “Oh, should we cancel it then?” Ha.

javabeans: Sora outlines their preferences: Sungmin likes a girl who fits right into his arms, and he smiles so bashfully that I figure it’s true. Eunhyuk and Donghae both like girls with pale complexions and large eyes. Kyuhyun likes a girl with a pretty forehead.

girlfriday: They’re so excited and embarrassed. It’s adorable. They decide on a signal, for if they like a girl at first sight. The sign is to smooth their sideburns.

javabeans: Sungmin: “What if we all do that at the same time?” HAHAHA. The visual cracks me up.

girlfriday: The door opens and the first girl comes up the stairs. Everyone freezes. Aw, their anticipation is so real.

javabeans: Ha, I love how they’re sitting up in anticipation, and the moment they recognize her, Donghae immediately claims dibs by smoothing his hair. Eunhyuk follows, but he’s a split-second slower.

girlfriday: Bachelorette Number 1 is Sohn Eun-seo, from Flames of Ambition. The boys are giddy and speechless. Eunhyuk pipes up that they’ve met before — apparently they did a show together a year back or something. But right now he can barely look at her, he’s so beside himself.

javabeans: The second bachelorette arrives, and this time Eunhyuk is first to reach for the sideburns. She’s Lee Se-na from Tree With Deep Roots, who played a court lady there and is here to fulfill the huge eye quota. The third arrives, and is Eunhyuk just gonna be greedy and claim everybody right away? Wow, his face is visibly red.

girlfriday: He’s totally trying to claim all the girls!

javabeans: She’s Shin So-yool, who I just saw in Penny Pinching Romance. She was also in Tree, as another of the court ladies.

javabeans: I was thinking Bae Doo-na. The last one is someone I don’t recognize, Jung Yeon-joo, and she’s one of Sora’s co-stars in Dream High 2. Oh, Kyuhyun likes her. And Eunhyuk goes for the sideburns yet again, haha.

girlfriday: So the girls start introducing themselves, and maybe this is a good time for us to explain what a sogaeting is, since it might seem like a weird thing for people who don’t know.

javabeans: Oh. Haha. I guess I just take that for granted. It’s basically a group blind date, but with a certain structure in place which I think probably helps moves things along, to help you over your shyness or first-date jitters. Usually it’ll be set up by friends like Sora and Leeteuk, or sometimes one of the leaders on each side will be the coordinators.

girlfriday: It’s most common among college students, and you just match the numbers on each side — yunno, five guys, five girls — and then you play a series of icebreaker type games.

javabeans: Toward the end the ladies “choose” the guy she’s interested in, either by literally just picking the partner or sometimes by game or random draw.

girlfriday: Yeah sometimes it’s lottery, and you get paired off by chance. Other times only couples where each chooses the other is considered a “successful” match.

javabeans: Then the couples are free to continue the date in that pairing, maybe go off into another round, or — if you don’t like your match — diligently try to make the date speed by so you can be free. It’s interesting that the date is both very straightforward — such as the girl literally saying which guy she wants — but also a minefield of social cues, reading people’s behaviors, and inferring. Hence the sideburn code.

girlfriday: Right. And it’s more complicated if there’s an age hierarchy on top of it, ‘cause if the hyung wants dibs or whatever, that screws with the program.

javabeans: Or if somehow the expected script doesn’t play out. Say there’s a jjang amongst the crowd who expects all the attention, and doesn’t get it. That’s the scenario you see in Queen of Housewives, when Kim Nam-joo gets pissy that ONE guy out of the whole group prefers the ugly duckling, so she goes out of her way to claim him when she didn’t even want him in the first place. Of course, that’s a drama, but still, those social cues apply.

girlfriday: It’s less complicated here because only the guys’ side are friends, so it’s going to be less of an issue.

javabeans: Sohn Eun-seo is first to introduce herself, and there’s nothing particularly unusual about her liking movies and music and chatting with friends… until she gets to the part about enjoying kickboxing, and somehow that startles the boys. Gender stereotypes and all, since she looks so sweet and demure. Pffft. The boys are given the chance to ask her questions, but they can only stutter and stare, which is endearing. Eunhyuk starts to ask the question, “Which of us…” but then the boys all crack up in mortification, unable to see the rest of that question through. Sora buries her face in her arms, all, “I can’t watch this.”

girlfriday: He finally asks if one of the guys here matches her ideal type of guy, and she says yes. That slays the room. I think the guys spend half the time with their faces buried. Se-na says she likes guys who smile, and Eunhyuk smiles on cue. He’s so transparent, it’s funny.

javabeans: I love that the guys get in digs at each other whenever they can. It’s their teeny attempt at rivalry. Example: Eunhyuk asks if Se-na’s name is spelled Sae-na or Se-na, and the others retort, “Of course it’s Se-na. Isn’t that a given? He doesn’t even know the basics [of spelling]” trying to embarrass him.

girlfriday: They meekly ask her age, and she says she’s thirty, and everyone’s jaws drop. She really doesn’t look it. Leeteuk happily greets her as a friend, but she says she’s an 82er, and he immediately switches to a bow, calling her noona.

javabeans: I think I like Bachelorette #3 best, So-yool, because she’s all assertive and sassy. I know I’m not here for the date, but given that the Korean expectation still falls toward the quietly laughing, demure girl with long straight hair, she’s a breath of fresh air. Even the way she clunked up the stairs in the beginning.

girlfriday: Me too! She seems like the coolest to hang out with. Maybe Eun-seo would be too, if she let her kickboxing side show through a little more.

javabeans: I’m picturing her with someone younger, to boss around. HAHA. Like Kyuhyun, maybe? Then it’s time for the boys to intro themselves.

girlfriday: How is Sungmin 28?? He looks twelve.

javabeans: How are they so awkward at this, when they are by far the more experienced half of this table? You can strut your stuff onstage in leather and colored afros, but you can’t say hello to a pretty girl?

girlfriday: But Leeteuk was hilariously awkward when he started on this show too. It was so strange. I’ve only ever seen him as an MC, so I never knew he had this shy awkward side, but he literally spent weeks and weeks of episodes just staring slackjawed at Sora and unable to say words. It was really cute.

javabeans: Donghae introduces himself, and it’s almost painful to watch. Also entertaining. But also a little painful. He stutters about how he’s not good at dating, then asks for questions without even saying anything about himself.

girlfriday: The commentators point out that he seems like he’s here to find a wife. Like for reals.

javabeans: Sohn Eun-seo asks Kyuhyun what he’d do if he got together with a girlfriend, and he answers, “Publicly, or s-s-secretly?” Hahaha. I know what he means — as in, he’s a celeb so there’s a different between a public date and a quiet one — but it’s just so hilarious, said like that.

girlfriday: And also so revealing about how seriously they’re taking this. It’s cracking me up. Leeteuk tries to explain for him, but it just earns him an evil eye from Sora. Ha.

javabeans: Now that intros are done, it’s time for the men to show off a little, as in personal skills and the like. The boys are startled at the speed of the proceedings, and they fumble a bit to decide who goes first, but Sungmin steps up and says he’ll go first. He picks up a guitar from the corner, and in so doing a pair of nunchaku fall to the ground. HAHA.

girlfriday: Well that’s just a weird combo of skills.

javabeans: I like that he rolls with it, and decides to show that off first then, saying, “Since I should be able to protect my woman.”

girlfriday: And then he sings and plays guitar, which goes considerably better than the display of nunchuck-whipping.

girlfriday: The acoustic guitar playing is totally my style, but not much else.

javabeans: But they’re singers by profession, so it’s a leetle less impressive to me. (Plus I’m hearing the original song in my head, which is better. LOL.)

girlfriday: Well, they’re idol stars, so I’m still pretty impressed when any of them can actually play instruments and sing.

javabeans: Eunhyuk just got back to Korea so he says he didn’t have time to prepare a demonstration, but he does have a present. Only for one, though, which means he’s ready to single out a lady based on first impressions. Donghae shoots him a look and mutters, while the caption reads, “Breaking the rules already.”

girlfriday: Haha, he’s messing with the program already! This is totally what we meant by the sogaeting rules and social cues.

javabeans: Right? You may get a step closer to the girl, but you cause a rift with your bros.

girlfriday: He chooses Eun-seo, who opens the cake box, to find… a cell phone? Huh? At first you think he’s going to throw her some line to get her number or something, but then he plugs it into speakers to play a song to dance to. What? Then what’s with the fakeout present?

javabeans: Was it to win points with his girl? Because otherwise it’s just a dance?

girlfriday: Even a cupcake would’ve been better.

javabeans: But I think it mitigates the rule-breaking aspect that it was a fake-gift (while earning brownie points with Eun-seo for singling her out), because then he hasn’t really outdone his bros. I think a cupcake would’ve been too serious.

girlfriday: True. Ha. So he dances and bravely goes over to Eun-seo to dance with her, but just as she gets up to join him, the music cuts out. Aw, too bad.

javabeans: It’s cute enough that she was all ready to do the shuffle with him, even if she only got one step in. Then it’s Kyuhyun’s turn to serenade with one of those popular romantic ballads, “Because I Love You.”

girlfriday: Sungmin plays guitar for him, which is nice, but then he messes up, and the boys accuse him of doing it on purpose. HA.

girlfriday: Omg, he starts up again, but this time Eunhyuk slyly slurps his drink in the middle of the song! Their pettiness is hilarious.

javabeans: That may be my favorite thing. The boys are too shy to say much to the ladies, but they take all their chances at embarrassing their friends.

girlfriday: Kyuhyun follows it up with a magic trick — he makes So-yool’s ring disappear, and when she asks for it back, he says he’ll give it to her when they’re done. Hee. I love all their little tricks to get more attention or facetime.

javabeans: I like how the commentator points out that Donghae seems a little miffed that Kyuhyun’s taking up the limelight, and while he doesn’t seem actually upset, I think there’s a teeny bit of truth there. Hee. Well, Donghae could just talk more then.

girlfriday: It’s finally Donghae’s turn, but he’s so awkward that I can barely watch. I’m cringing for him.

javabeans: Eunhyuk says that Donghae prepared at least 100 things, and this reminds me of the Strong Heart episode where Siwon outed him for preparing stories all freaking year long.

girlfriday: He must really be that guy.

javabeans: He just Cares Too Much. It’s both endearing and, as you say, so awkward you can’t bear to watch.

girlfriday: He’s prepared this elaborate song with signs and roses… and somehow it just gets away from him. Like he prepared it to be super romantic, and now it’s falling apart before our eyes.

javabeans: Oh man, Donghae. It’s a good thing you’re so pretty.

girlfriday: He looks like he’s about to cry.

javabeans: He’s the guy who says “I love you” on the first date. He’s Ted Mosby!

girlfriday: Omg! He’s TED!

javabeans: Alternately poignant and mortifying? Where’s that blue trumpet when you need it? Eunhyuk first steals the spotlight by doing the act better, and then points out that Donghae messed up with the flowers. Aw. On the upside, the girls seem to feel sorry for Donghae. He didn’t show them what he wanted to (cool and impressive), but they like the side they see anyway (bumbling and sweet).

girlfriday: Yeah I think the cool ship has sailed. But girls prefer the uncool real side anyway. And I think Eunhyuk in turn lost some points for being mean while Donghae was down.

javabeans: Yes, totally. Eunhyuk totally scored variety points for the funny, but lost on impressing the girls. I like that the mood has loosened up enough now, though, that they’re starting to have a little fun instead of being awkward balls of nervous energy.

girlfriday: It’s time for the girls to choose their favorite from the talent portion, and both So-yool and Se-na pick Sungmin. Uh-oh, things are already starting to skew one way.

javabeans: Eun-seo picks Donghae, which I think just made Donghae’s year. (I had a feeling he liked her most.)

girlfriday: Yeah I think he nearly had a heart attack when she came up the stairs. Eunhyuk’s particularly sad about her choice, since he singled her out first.

javabeans: Maknae actress Yeon-joo also likes Donghae, which leaves Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun sad. But this is only the first round! In this case they’re not necessarily picking the guy they wanna date, so they’ll have another episode to get to know each other. There’s bowling and dancing and… tears?

girlfriday: I guess this sogaeting gets real for everyone, and not just the boys?

although YongSeo couple were hella boring for ME, but they have huge popularity, I guess that’s why a lot of people like them… or maybe the shipper love kind of “awkward” relationship, I don’t know their acting are bad, or they just take this thing like it’s real

1.1.2 ToyaJanuary 23rd, 2012 at 8:59 PM

Kim Hyun Joong & Hwangbo was a popular couple because they were the most entertaining, in my opinion.

Him with that “out of left field” type logic, and her for getting sucked into that logic.

Alex and Sin Ae were like the couple that you want to be when you settle in after you first start dating (kinda like the comfortable yet awkward stage).

HAHA..i’m with you..i almost gave up watching yongseo coz of the slow progress, shyness, awkwardness..just different from the others i used to watch. But then i realized they got their own charms..and it’s like they both finding how the ways to do it..the relationship. Thanks God, i choose to continue watching their epsXD

Totally agree with you! Hyun Joong and Hwang Bo are the All Time Best Couple of all d couples ever on wgm. I ve watched wgm since season 1 but no one can beat the Lettuce Couple! They were so cute and crazy funny! I mean inspite of the age difference they were perfect together, KHJ is crazy funny, u can totally see y ppl call him 4D!^^

my favourite couples were
lettuce couple no.1 , they were the most entertaining and crazy fun to watch , KHJ is a really 4D , HB was so cool and being herself , they were hilarious
my 2nd favourite was Adam couple , they were sooooooooooo matched for each other
the one thing that I like about those 2 couples that there is no cheesy stuff or obvious fake romance like the other couples

I stop watching WGM after YongSeo left the show. I also think their awkward interactions were the cutest!
I do like JongBoo couple too from season 1.
I don’t find the new couples are worth to watch. my opinion they look too scripted.

My favorite couple is an oldie. It was Hwangbo and Kim Hyun Joong, a.k.a. the ssangchu couple. Hwangbo is just a really cool woman with a great personality, and KHJ has a funny, dry sense of humor. The dynamic is fun to watch as well, because Hwangbo is several years older.

1) Lettuce couple (Hwangbo and Kim Hyun-joong) – Hwangbo’s extremely cool with a bright personality. KHJ’s 4-dimensional personality really shows in his stint in WGM. Their competitiveness made them a fun couple to watch.

Ah these three couples are my favorites too. I love Lettuce/Sangchu couple’s competitiveness, Adam couple is just adorable and fun, while YongSeo/Goguma couple is just so awkward that it’s really endearing and cute.

I too love the Lettuce couple’s competitive streak! I bust out in laughter every time I re-watch their mini-olypmics. All the music in the b/g in every episode were amazing as well. And it breaks my heart every time I re-watch their closing episode when they offer advice for their partner’s future husband/wife up on Halla San.

I still have’t found any other couple on WGM just as entertaining, and the next closest was the Poopie couple ’cause they can really belch an R&B note or two. I really like Hwayobi’s singing voice.

Yes, I would too. Plus, they are still running and its recent, so you wouldnt be sad that they ended and you can ship them together, lol. But I greatly advise you to watch the Woojung couple. They seem very natural and quite good looking too. Jangwoo is not scared to say whats on his mind and they kissed! So adorable!

the first season was the best for me coz i especially luv Alex and Hwangbo but they are coupled w/ different partners so the best episode for me was when they went on a vaca 2gether. last but not the least is the yongseo couple since i also luv CNBLUE. ‘hop u lyk my suggestions ^_^

and tho the show changed from season1, i stuck to it and still watch any subbed vids i can get my hands on. I’m an absolut fan of the show and a loyal one at that- thru great ratings or bad.i always wondered why there were no recaps of it since it’s one of the korean variety shows that i see its appeal internationally. for example: I didn’t know SS501 until d show or that Alex is more than a chef/cook coz the 1st tym i saw him on a show was when he was in Vitamin.
I also learned about Kpop thru the variety show X-Man coz b4 all i knew were Shinwha coz of Eric and S.E.S coz of Eugene. I also started watchin dramas coz of them fr Full House, Goong, Coffee Prince, etc. – I’m such a rom-com girl!hehehe

You should def. give the Woojung couple a try. They are so cute, and they have alot of skinship and kisses compared to other couples. Check out woojungislove.com for all the details on this couple. Trust me, you’ll love them.

I’m a Season 1 loyalist and I loved all the couples from that season. But, I suppose the couples in order of who I liked would have to go like this:

1. Hwangbo and Hyun Joong- The concept was very “drama-like” but they seemed so earnest and fun. Theirs was truly like a variety show, and it had all the elements that it was supposed to I think. Plus, we all know Hyun Joong cant act IRL lol 😀

I also thought that lee si yong was a bit weird, but I think junjin digs that coz they dated for real after their WGM stint. I think they broke up after a couple of months… But I guess it goes to show that these things can happen…

Now, it makes me wonder, who else dated for real after/during WGM

BTW, i love ssangchu couple as well, u don’t really get the feeling that they are married, but they do seem like they are dating.. and I just love how hwangbo takes care of KHJ and how KHJ cares for hwangbo… And how they overcame the age gap… I’ll never forget his bday gift to hwangbo coz that would’ve floored any girl… =)

haha gotta agree with Gundam couple. they’re really weird, bickering all days but in the end they made up as a couple in real.. love their awkwardness and their weirdness. really love Junjin and Lee si young.

but, gotta say that 1st generation couple is the best.
Kimhyunjung and hwangbo-funny with their competitiveness.
Ant couple (Crown J and So in young) really feel like made for each other.
Andy-Solbi couple with their cute moments. they feel more like close friends.
and Alex-Shinae-romantic overload.

I agree…because of having to think about the fans’ feelings, the show became less entertaining…Seriously, idols with a huge fan base (especially with irrational fan girls/boys making up a huge portion of the base) should reconsider about going on the show in the first place. =/

Kim HyunJoong-HwangBo were probably the best couple in WGM ever.
Then Junjin-Lee Siyoung (who dated for a while after the program, but broke up after Siyoung lost job offers because of these news).
Yongha-Seohyun were really great after the awkward went away.
and Alex-Shinae, Nickhun-Victoria if you’re the romantic type.

For me, the first season is the best. I LOVE the original couple except for Hyung Don-Saori couple. Alex-Shinae give off a romantic vibe while Andy-Solbi is more of a cutesy concept. Crown J-Inyoung couple is very entertaining though I find it hard to watch them at first. They are always bickering and sometimes Inyoung is too harsh towards Crown J. Hyunjong-Hwangbo couple is probably the funniest couple in WGM history ever, lol. I have watched other season and Season 1 is still the best out of other season.

I started watching for the yong seo couple — being a huge fan of CNBlue and Jung Yong Hwa (from You’re Beautiful and Heartstrings), it was natural choice. Then I got caught up in the Khuntoria (Nichkhun and Victoria) story line. Nichkhun is HOT! Victoria gets a little whiny after a while, but it’s worth it to watch Nichkhun. because of that story line, I was introduced to the Adam couple (Jo Kwon and Gain) and went back and watched all their episodes. I was in the middle of watching the caramel couple (Uee and Jae Jung), but I could only find half of the episodes subbed. I haven’t seen any other couples, and I’m taking a break from WGM right now, but I’m sure I’ll go back since I find the awkward scripted reality show hi-la-rious!

The new season featuring ZE:A’s Kwanghee and SECRET’s Sunhwa is really funny. This couple will make the show for you, I promise. Kim Hyun Joong and Hwangbo were hilarious from season one as well. Seo In-young and Crown J were wildly popular in season one too.

If you’re more of a romantic type, Alex and Shinae from season one were great. Other notable couples are 2AM’s Jokwon and Brown Eyed Girls’ Ga-In, 2PM’s Nickhun and f(x)’s Victoria, CNBlue’s Jung Yong-hwa and Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun, and Super Junior’s Leeteuk and Kang Sora.

I agree with you. I honestly tried to watch after the season 1 couples left but after Hwang Bo and Hyun Joong left, it just didn’t feel the same. And only segments of the show would get subbed, not the whole episode.

Season 1 definitely had a more “married” feeling to it whereas the newer version feels like a dating show for idols to show off. Now it feels like one huge show to promote idols, concerts and their management companies. I actually liked the fact that the couples were awkward at first (well in season 1 anyways) because it felt more realistic like that. And you were able to see the chemistry develop from basically nil.

Gah, I’m going to have to fight the urge to spazz everytime someone mentions Hwangbo. She’s just awesome.

I haven’t seen WGM since Hwangbo left, but picking up at Season III, I actually like how the subbing now just divides the segments so you can choose the couple you want to see. No need to sub a whole episode if you’re only invested in 1 or 2 couples. I think you would like the Leeteuk-Sora couple because those two just took awkward to a whole new level. But it felt like the attraction was so real because even I was embarrassed (yet giddy) for them. But if you don’t want idol-infested WGM, than know Season III also has a non-idol couple, the Brave Couple. They’re a dongsaeng-noon who’ve been friends for 18 years, but now have to adjust their relationship from friendly-familiar to couplely-wobbley. Heh. They’re just so fun to watch, especially when I’m just watching and trying to figure out if there there are any real feelings involved. XD

I’ve been a huge fan of Hwang Bo since the X Man days when she was called “The Lady General”. But after appearing on WGM, I’m a fully cemented Hwang Bo fangirl.

But thanks for the suggestions! I’ll have to check out season 3’s Leeteuk-Sora and the Brave couple then. I have seen some of Eunjung and Jang Woo’s episodes but they’re only ‘alright’ in my book. But seeing some of the pics here maybe I need to revisit them. The Brave couple one really sparks my interest. That’s something straight out of a kdrama lol! But as far as idol couples go, they’re okay (loved the Adam couple though!) but I wish the show would be more subtle in trying to promote them as idols. I get that this is a great opportunity to advertise and develop a following but the concept of a married couple is getting too mixed up in promotions.

Oh you’ll love the Brave Couple. They are too cute. Everyone just keeps suggesting they marry each other already since they are 40 & 38 and just seem so real. They’re comfortable enough with each other that they’re laid back about the whole marriage thing and have awesome sizzling chemistry when they are getting all lovey-dovey or jealous of each other. But really, it is like something straight out of a kdrama. And the Dimple Couple made me feel all giddy inside like I was back in High School. The rush from young love. The discovery of a full-blown crush. You get that from watching them.

And yeah, watching Hwangbo on X-Man made me want to find more things with her in it, and that led me to WGM. I guess in this case, I would have to say I was Hwang-baited/Bo-baited/HwangBo-baited. XD

Yes! Def. watch the Eunjung and Jangwoo. They are my favorite. I esp. loved the episodes where they were making the Zia music video because he got to kiss her,hehe. And also how Jangwoo is now so involved with the music world and t-ara, being in Roly Poly musicals, MC for music bank, cameo in Japan Bo Peep mv.

2.1.1.1.3 CynthiaJanuary 24th, 2012 at 12:20 AM

Actually, I think the Brave Couple dynamics are one of the more interesting WGM pairings. There are real feelings between them, plus past history. They both stated publicly that they would date after their WGM time ended – that’s real, and their last show arrived last week, complete with an elaborate event. The latest word is, is that he proposed and she turned him down. She wasn’t ready for marriage. Either that or she found his attachment to ‘Cornie’ to be really weird/creepy….
🙂

2.1.1.1.4 AlvinaJanuary 24th, 2012 at 1:05 AM

OMG Cynthia?! For real?!

Poor WonJoon, he seems like a really emotional kind of guy. Someone who invests a lot of time into the relationship, which could get kind of annoying imo. I know some guys like that, clingy-ish but really successful but kind of neurotic.

WHAT?!?!?! No more Jalba-Ibu? Sad day! I’m kind of disappointed to hear they aren’t keeping it strong after the show. But, SIGH! That’s life for you. Poor Jalba. Hahaha.

And this is me getting totally hoping the Brave Couple would actually stick it through. Aiyo~

2.1.1.1.6 CynthiaJanuary 24th, 2012 at 9:17 AM

It’s not like they broke up – as far as I know, they’re still dating each other, it’s just that she decided she wasn’t ready to marry him right now. Probably a smart move for her. She did complain that he was a ‘nagger’ and that behavior gets real old, real fast. Also, don’t y’all think he came across as uber-needy? She’s independent and he’s clingy – bad combo. And seriously, all that stuff with ‘Cornie’ verged on really weird. I mean, he’s sewing a tuxedo for the toy? And carting it all over? Red flags. Red. Flags.
🙂

You’re just funny. I think it’s a good idea they see how it works without a camera is around. Test their relationship a more “normal” way without putting up pretenses for all of Korea. That way they’d be sure.

2.1.1.1.8 CelestJanuary 24th, 2012 at 1:45 PM

Okay Ani, so I took some time to watch some segments of the Brave couple and I got up to the amusement park first date. I gotta say that I think I found a new addiction lol. They are uber-cute together. I think they’re interesting to watch because of a dynamic that was never really featured in WGM–good friends already before the show. So they already have great chemistry from the get go. Well in anycase, I think I’m hooked again on WGM. So I guess thank you for the recommendation, but at the same time maybe not because I sense a potential addiction here lol.

And Cynthia–What?! They’re already booted out? How come? Is it because they’re not as popular as the idol couples? And are they really dating out of the show? And a rejected proposal too? Omo…it seems like rumors and drama are all over this one

2.1.1.1.9 CynthiaJanuary 24th, 2012 at 4:47 PM

Celeste ~ yup, they ended their time at WGM last week.

From watching what’s been going on this past season, with the ending of Khuntoria and the beginning of DC, the new PDs have elected to do a clean sweep for the oncoming season – out with the ‘old’ couples and in with the new.

Watch – dollars to doughnuts that WooJung will be the next to go, followed closely by Leeteuk/Sora. WooJung has pretty much run it’s course. The Campus Couple is basically dormant at this point, not much going on, plus her T’ara schedule is crazy and she’s doing a drama – it doesn’t make for much couple time (as evidenced by this last episode. I mean, washing a comforter? C’mon.)

Leeteuk will enlist early summer and Sora is hitting her drama stride, big-time – so, they’ll be gone, too.

As for your questions re/Brave Couple – they had their devoted core of fans, but overall weren’t as popular – evidenced by lesser on-camera time, slow subbing, etc. Plus, the demographics of younger people watching WGM skews in favor of the younger idol couples.

And, while I’m thinking about it, I always question the criticism of “they’re using ALL idols, it’s fanservice, it’s totally scripted, etc, ad nauseum”. Since Season 1, Idols have always been used. Different degrees of popularity, to be sure, but they sure aren’t pulling people in off the streets to participate. WGM couples are high profile, all the time.
🙂

2.1.1.2 RossiJanuary 23rd, 2012 at 10:12 PM

I just want to say to you Internet stranger that I heard you for your first sentence. Hwangbo is super duper love.

YES THANK YOU! I’ve been watching WGM here and there but started to follow it every week ever since Lee Teuk “got married”! The scenes with Fighting Junior are just hilarious, especially especially during the first meeting at the theater.

Kyu, Hae, SungMin, and Hyuk are all just so awkward with the girls especially Hyuk!

Of all the girls, I think Eun So is the prettiest and So Yool is the most confident? straightforward? Spunky? Either way, she seems comfortable enough to talk a lot.

And again.. great pick for Song of the Day! How I wish Super Junior has their own variety show again…..

I agree!! Wished suju would have their own variety show again.. EHB and Full House were epic. EPIC. suju-biased or not, those are variety gems…
And omo. I didn’t notice the Song of the Day!!! I think JB and GF need to put a restraining order on me or I’m going to hug them till squeezed for choosing a Suju song!! Walkin is from the 5th album and it’s very breezy.

I find it hysterical that ‘FightingJunior’ was formed to help Sora and Leeteuk get past their ‘awkward’ moments and yet seeing the FJ’s attempting to interact with the girls on their blind date is beyond funny. They’re practically collapsing from shyness. These boys are great at dishing out advice – they need to learn from it.
🙂

Kyu Hyun~ This guy is super adorable hehehe, and um, Ted Mosby! You guys watch How I Met Your Mother? That’s my favorite show (though in season 7 the focus isn’t on Ted anymore :S), and *sigh* I like Ted so much. hehehe

HAHAHAHA! Now I want to see this too.. the only episode of We Got Married I’ve seen was one with Kim Hyun Joong and it was a noona romance and he was so adorably awkward while she was confident and bold haha… But I remember one of my favourite/ funniest parts was when she moved in (I think) with SS501 and they totally banded up with her against him! I think the group interactions are much funnier!!

LoLL finally dramabeans talk about WGM too…
my comment for donghae is similar with your comments, he’s like really want to find a wife LMAO
I like this show since season 1
keep up for writing the recap for next week’s episode… super junior are funny…

OMG! you guys are awesome!!!
I love WGM! and this episode in particular with the Suju boys I wanted to read other people’s thoughts on!
Love you guys!!
Now if we could just get some commentary from gummimochi as well that would totally make my day!!! ^_^

@diorama: the Adam Couple was hilarious!!! JoKwon from 2pm and Son Gain from Brown Eyed Girls! Kshownow.net is the best website I’ve found!

I’m suffering from a severe case of nostalgia right now. I remember being a senior in high school when this show came out and my friends and I looked forward to every Sunday (and Monday for translations) for each and every episode. The premise was solid gold and genius in my opinion. It’s like shipping a drama couple but in real life! except not really.

I remember Andy and Solbi were huge favorites early on but I personally liked Alex and Shin Ae the best because I thought they felt more realistic. The A’ couple annoyed the heck out of me at first because I couldn’t stand Seo In Young at all but eventually, they got on your good side because they outlasted everyone and the A couple had some great chemistry.

But I think the best couple and my ultimate favorite would be the Lettuce couple. It was cute how awkward they were at first but after each episode, you saw them becoming more and more comfortable with each other. And by the end, the chemistry between HwangBo and Hyun Joong was off the charts. To this day, I don’t think KHJ has had half the amount of chemistry with any of his female drama leads as he has had with HwangBo. I remember crying at their farewell episode because it was more ridiculously sad and heart-wrenching than any other korean rom-com I’ve ever watched. That whole “don’t take your future wife/husband to Jeju because it’s our special place” gets me everytime.

I agree!!! I remember watching my first episode of WGM, and then around episode 8 or so, when Ssangchu couple came in. I remember posting on like, page 10 on soompi.

I also remember all the haters that claimed that Hwangbo was “too old”, “too loud”, “not good-looking enough” (dont believe me? Go check out the comments yourself).

I cant believe that they are now incredibly loved and that the show is still going on. So much time has passed (Junjin in the army, Shinae married, Crown J’s troubles, Kangin in the army, etc etc etc etc), and yet…not a lot of time has passed at all…

Ah, those were the days, right?
I think that the backlash Hwangbo experienced was one of the first really intense negative fangirls reactions to be seen – they actually had to address (and admonish) the problem on the show, with KHJ telling his fans to back off.

I think one of the biggest reasons why season 1 was so successful is that the show was much more structured back then. Each couple had a ‘mission’ to tackle for every show, the backstage interviews were much more intense (Hwangbo’s in particular were excellent) and interaction between all the couples was included, so it amped up the funny. (One of my all-time favorites was the beach vaca with Alex/Sinae & Hwangbo/Hyun joong and that sneaky plan the girls pulled on the boys with that fake fight. Thought I’d die laughing, and years later still laugh about it!)

Changing PDs for this current season has done this show little good – I think having the Leetuek/Sora pairing was a mistake from the get-go. Why have a couple where we know the end date is stamped on them with Leetuek’s enlistment coming up? It doesn’t afford them any time and watching them develop a relationship is coming off as forced due to the time constraints – it’s like fast-forwarding.
The Brave Couple has ended, Khuntoria’s demise was fast, and WooJung is on the way out. If the PDs focus on using SuJu coupling for WGM, I can see big problems ahead. It’s too specific – WGM thrives on having opposite personalities hook up. (Remember Son Dam-bi and Marco? Yonghwa and Seo-hyun?) They need to remember this for future pairings.
🙂

Oh man! I loved that double date episode. Wasn’t it ShinAe’s idea? I remember watching it and being surprised that Shin Ae had that sly side to her. I know Hwang Bo probably did but not Shin Ae lol. Man, I feel like rewatching season 1 again. AlShin and Lettuce couple are still my fave two to this day. I remember watching AlShin’s 100 day wedding shoot and thinking I want to look as marvelous in my wedding pictures.

I didn’t watch the Yongwha/SeoHyun couple but I did watch the Son DamBi Marco couple and they just didn’t click at all for me.

I loved the Goguma Couple – mostly because of the clever pairing. Yonghwa was the ‘Busan Man’ – confident, talented, bright personality, paired with Seo-hyun who was practically prepubescent in her lack of knowing ANYTHING about men. I mean, this is the girl who seriously asked Yonghwa “what’s the difference between friendship and love?”. I’ll never forget the look on his face when that came out of her mouth – he was totally dumbfounded.

By the time WGM ended for them, it was wonderful to see how much Seo-hyun had changed and matured – and Yonghwa was the reason for it. They were a lovely couple, and a fairly funny one, too. Seo-hyun really developed a knack for holding his toes to the fire and really called him on some of his stuff. Particularly his disaster of attempting “Push-Pull” on her. Hilarious.
🙂

15.1.1.2 AlvinaJanuary 24th, 2012 at 9:57 PM

I agree with you so much!

While I didnt die-hard follow all of the couples that came in the seasons after, I always checked out a couple of episodes and found them to be of various degrees of success (due to different reasons).

I thought I loved season 1 so much simply because of the novelty of it; it was a new and fresh concept. However, after seeing this review, I decided to go back and watch a couple of episodes (particularly the AlShin/Joongbo double date, the Ant Tour, the ssangchu photoshoot) and agree that even when the new couples came in toward the end of season 1, they just clicked ~because~ it was explicitly acknowledged that it was a variety show. Part of the fun was to see if anything developed from that, you know?

I think that’s part of the reason why later seasons werent as fun to watch; they tried to take away the variety aspect of it and make it more into a mock-umentary type, following the development of a relationship…

woojung couple (jangwoo and eunjung) was my first wgm couple and i just love them! because of them, i watched previous/other couples. i enjoyed them all but my first love is woojung couple. they always make me happy and put a smile on my face =)

I also love the Woojung couple! Jangwoo is handsome with a charming voice and Eunjung is so pretty. She’s so shy, yet Jangwoo is outgoing and wants skinship. I like the fact that shes opening up though. Woojungislove.com has the best updates on this couple and proof how they are real, hehehe!

Thx! I actually go to woojungislove for my woojung fix. =) i find jangwoo charming, capable, and talented. I love the way he looks at eunjung and their interactions. She is so cute and understands his lil jokes and teases him back. Their skinship is really natural. If they portray married couple, then is natural to have skinships. And their conversations flow. They always look like they have fun! I love hearing all tidbits of them outside wgm. Sending much love for my beloved woojung couple!

not gonna lie, the fact that i see kyuhyun’s name in dramabeans is making me a little a lot happy. he’s pretty much the only thing about kpop that i love wholeheartedly without mockery.

i was so sad for him.

anyhow, the we got married concept, as i’ve seen it, is all about making people uncomfortable and therein lies the reality. the pretend marriage is the ploy to attract attention because everyone loves a good otp or ship, but at the heart of it is pure unadulterated awkwardness. and then the subsequent sweetness that comes out of a genuine “getting to know you” experience.

not that i’ve ever been an avid fan, but i understand the appeal. and also, if you read the comments about this show, they pretty much boil down to “omgggg, he’s so cuttteee!” so i guess the attraction, for most, has little to do with the setup, and more to do with who’s in the cast.

I think the appeal of WGM is very weird. Sometimes I’m like “What are you doing and why am I watching you, show,” but somehow it’s still fun. I think it’s because the marriages are ‘make-believe’, not ‘fake’–they’re playing house, which is hardly new. At its worst it’s fakey voyeurism, at its best it is edutainment. It’s fun to watch these strangers get to know each other within the weird framework of a pretend marriage, and it actually teaches some good things, I think. They come into it with all their preconceptions about marriage and then start to learn about cleaning comforters and dealing with a spouse’s work schedule and meeting in-laws.

Hwang Bo / Kim Hyun Joong in the first season showed the appeal best, I think. They were SO awkward at first, but really allowed the audience to see how a May/December or Noona romance can work if both sides are willing to make adjustments, ad by the last episode they really had a sincere connection.

In this ep, the Suju boys were hilarious. Sungmin is totally my style, ’cause like Yeoja Samho said, he’s complicated. There’s like this constant internal war between “I am a manly man, I promise!” and “…Noonas sure do love my aegyo. Hmm.” Donghae is an idiot, bless his heart, but his sincerity is his saving grace here. Eunhyuk has the same issues of Leeteuk, having a variety persona so removed from his real self, and Kyuhyun wins points by being blunt.

WooJung couple is hard for me to get into because the dude is cute and hilarious and I find the girl to be kinda meh. At least the format of WGM allows you to watch one or the other of the couples without getting lost since they’re pretty self-contained.

Sangchu couple=<3. For me, this couple is the golden standard in WGM. I think my major problem with all the other couples is that they don't have the nearly the same level of chemistry as these two.

And you're so right…I had some serious doubts about the sangchu couple in the beginning because they were so awkward at first that it seemed that they were going to stay that way. But bam! The chemistry was so awesome that by the end, I was crying with them when they were "getting a divorce" and saying goodbye in Jeju Island.

I remember that too Ani. Especially since I was a TripleS back in the day (but also a BIG X-man fan) and saw all the forums discussing how Hyun Joong should’ve been set-up with a “better girl” or someone that was not as “old”.

It was also interesting seeing people trying to defend Hwangbo by saying “Hyun Joong’s ideal type is Hyori. HB is close”. Now, there’s STILL people that think they are going out!

And, when HJ first came on WGM, they just came back from Japan, the group was not doing too well in Korea, and not many people knew who he was. And, Hwangbo’s music career was pretty much going nowhere.

Your right. I know it’s fake, but when it’s a couple that seem soooo cute together, and seem to really have some feelings for each other, or grow on each, it’s just fun to watch. And your right, there is learning involved. But for me, it’s more like watching them learn to become a couple. Sometimes, I even wish that real couple come out of this because I really want the Dimple Couple and the Brave Couple to be Real Couples. XD

Man, Hwangbo was the reason why I even bothered with WGM. I grew up a tomboy, you know, raised by Dad and his brothers with a younger brother closer to my age than my two older sisters, so I can’t help but love seeing my fellow tomboys of the world. And know I use the word tomboy losely. I just mean those girls that seem like they’d kick anyone’s butts. So after Hwangbo, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it was Kang Sora that got me curious with WGM again. But her real persona so much more different than I’d expected… and I LOVE it.

Wow. You summarised everything so well. ^^
I agree, the ssangchu couple are so far the ones setting the best standard.
And loved the way you described the suju’s boys personality. Totally on the point! Especially about how teukie and hyukie’s variety persona being rather different from their other selves.
And yes.. evil magnae is evil. And hae has the brain of a fish. But he’s so earnestly pure you can’t help but find him endearing.
I actually like the woojung couple, and both jangwoonim and eunjung. But for me still, Teukso is the one to follow right not.

Uh, the Mosby: to tell a girl you love her on your first date. XD I didn’t think jb and girlfriday even had time to watch American Shows anymore considering their recapping schedules and catching up with kdramas and… having a life. Heh.

Hahaha. I wished for Variety Roulette yesterday, and here it is. Over the weekend I picked up WGM again, especially since I love Kang Sora to pieces. And I know the fake and scripted thing is a turn off for some, but man. Man man man MAN! Leeteuk and Kang Sora totally sold it to me how they were just awkward with each other. And Leeteuk being all awestruck with hi “wife” and how he couldn’t stop smiling and staring at her. It totally made me like him. Can we please please PLEASE have them be a real couple?

I definitely loved Soyool! I loved how she was just out there and everything. She’s definitely an Alpha in a relationship. And Sena seems so awesome the way she spoke up for Kyuhyun. I didn’t get the vibes from the show that Kyuhyun liked Yeon-joo, but I sure hope so because the clips from her short films shows that she sure has a lot of Charisma.

As for the the Eunjung-Jangwoo couple, I’ve only seen them in the Christmas Special and I don’t know if I will really watch them since, eh, their relationship really does seem fake. They don’t draw me in like the TeukSo Couple. Too bad we didn’t get any of the Brave Couple, because their donsaeng-noona love is just awesome. I moved on to them since I am already caught up with the Dimple Couple, and they are just precious. Jalba-Ibu fighting! XD

Okay, rewatched the part where Yeon-joo entered, and Kyuhyun definitely kept his eyes on her longest. I’m just wondering what that was all about taking Soyool’s ring then. Oh young love and the games played. They do know how to throw people off their sent. Heh. XD

For me,it’s the complete opposite. I love the Woojung couple because they’re natural with skinship and seem comfortable, even after the first couple of meetings. Watching TeukSo, I just couldnt do it because they are so awkward. Sora is cute, but she’s so awkward. And Leeteuk, I find, is a bit fake. Like he trys too hard which makes it seem fake like in the Christmas special, where he stands up when he’s shocked over something. I find the Woojung couple was very natural in the Christmas special where they seem like they were in their own little world. Eunjung telling Jangwoo privately he doesnt need to hit the bricks hard. Her checking if his hands hurt, Jangwoo in the back holding Eunjung’s hand while the others are playing the blindfolded game, etc. This is just my opinion.

Oh man, it’s totally ok with me if you don’t like the Dimple Couple. And I do think when people are around Leeteuk exaggerates a bit too much. But man, when it’s just him and Sora? They seriously just blush like it’s no one’s business. No one can blush like that on demand. And when they went furniture shopping and they were looking at beds? Man, there was a moment where Leeteuk looked like he was going to kiss Sora. I especially loved it when she was more comfortable and even started using her acting chops. Fun to watch. And after four months (or 15 episodes to be exact), it’s nice to finally see them at ease with each other. But I sure hope they blush around each other… Too bad Leeteuk will have to go to the Army soon. X/

I think it’s expected for the WooJung Couple to be at ease by the Christmas Special since they were together for 8 months at that point. But I think when I’m caught up with the Brave Couples, maybe I’ll give WooJung a shot…. Unless some other show catches my fancy. Soooo little time. Sigh.

Well I havent really watched any TeukSo episodes, but skimmed through and it was too much awkwardness. Maybe I avoid it bc he’s going to the army and i dont want to be too attached:) but you should reconsider woojung. Even from the beginning, they arent awkward and progress fast and at ease. I loved the episodes where they made the Zia mv and kissed. Jangwoo’s personality is outgoing and Eunjung is shy but she’s opened up and understands him now. The outside details of them and how they are involved with each other outside WGM is what makes me ship them together. (couple braclets, eunjung wearing the jacket jangwoo bought her, her calling him honey outside WGM, etc.)

You see. That’s why I’m skeptical and not ready to tackle the WooJung couple. I don’t want a fast progression into familiarity/marriage territory. I want the slow discovery of dating – at least when the couple is young since I was totally okay with the Brave Couple jumping right into changing their relationship dynamics. I want the blushing; the “I’m trying to not be obvious about staring at you when you’re not looking”. I want to see some shy glances. I want it to be realistic as possible that two people who’ve never met take the step-by-step into getting huggy and kissy because it’s the courting that gets me committed to a fake relationship.

But yeah, when I started them I didn’t realize he was of Military Service age. Sad day. X'(

Leeteuk is 30 in Korean age and has admitted to secretly dating so now I have a hard time buying a lot of his behavior. The first few episodes I thought he was cute being shy but since he is the same age as me I started getting annoyed LOL.

Plus whenever he does something so obviously variety I just throw my hands up…I’m specifically thinking of the Christmas Special. However, I love Kang Sora so I watch anyway.

I love WooJung. I started watching them a couple of months into their time on WGM while I was still into Khuntoria and mourning Adam. They are 26 and 24 and act like the adults they are. They had so much in common from day one including their friends and school. Now that I consider their school, friends, parents being involved, off screen couple items, the texting outside WGM, and Jangwoo getting involved in T-ara’s promotions it does seem a bit suspicious that they’re real.

I’m sad over SoWon…I wasn’t sad when they left last week because I thought they’d be together…but than I heard the proposal failed 🙁

Heh, it’s funny that you find Leeteuk suspicious for secretly dating while I love it since everytime he mentions other idols secretly dating, he gets in trouble for it from Sora. I think I can understand where you’re coming from about him not acting his age especially since you say you’re the same age, but I find that he strikes a good balance with being the oppa (e.g. paying for things, going all out for Sora, being first to initiate) while being boyishly shy. I don’t mind it when people act younger their age sometimes because, well, let’s just say life made Ani grow up way too fast, way too soon. People need to hold on to the child in them for as long as possible (while maturing at the same time) because it’s a precious thing being able to see the world through innocent eyes. I’m not saying to be a naive idiot, just know when to let go and to let yourself be swept into the fun and into love. *mutters to self*What you just said Ani seems pretty naive*cough*

I wholeheartedly agree Leeteuk should stop doing things just for the sake of variety. I groan when he does. X/ But I guess I’m not the only one who tunes into to this couple for Kang Sora. XD

Good news about the Brave Couple, Cynthia said they’re still dating, just not getting married anytime soon. I agree since they should see how it works without the whole of Korea watching.

I have mixed feelings about this show. The “it’s fake but let’s all pretend it’s real even though it’s obviously fake” concept can only go so far. I watched a good chunk of season 2, but couldn’t be bothered to finish any of the couple’s stories. After the initial awkwardness, they learn how to pretend to be a couple better and it just gets boring. it’s like girlfriday said, they’re actors. occasionally though, it can be funny and cute.

I might have to find this clip of Lee Jang-woo’s struggle to do the laundry. it looks hilarious.

WOOJUNG is the best! They seem so real because if you look into the little details, such as Eunjung wearing the jacket JangWoo brought for her countless times outside of WGM. Also they even have couple braclets that Eunjung wears outside WGM too. Plus, they text each other! I like the fact that they have many skinship, and they have kissed several times. So cute!!!!!!!! GO WOOJUNG!

Started watching WGM because of Jung Yonghwa from CN Blue and the whole concept fascinated me. Ended up going back and watching Kim Hyun Joong & Hwangbo which IMHO was one of the better pairings. I only knew Hyun Joong from BBF & didn’t realize he actually had a personality until WGM. I’m amazed at how consumed the fans get about these fake relationships. There is absolutely no way this show could be done anywhere but Korea. Western pop stars and actors could never pull off the innocent act. 29yr old Leeteuk turned 30 shades of red the first time he even touched Sora’s hand. The show has a charm to it that you just won’t ever see on American TV & that’s why I like it.

Haha! I like the way you put it. I live in America too and you’re absolutely right…there’s no way this could work here. We have trashy shows like Jersey Shore and the Bachelor where sex and just making out in general are no big deal. I think that’s why I love korean dramas and shows. Because “skinship” is such a big deal on the account that Korea is a more conservative country (media-wise anyways), just a little touch or kiss on the cheek is enough for us to get all crazy about. And to me that’s refreshing to watch. Sometimes taking it slow isn’t such a bad thing…and well, other times I just wanna shout and scream “just kiss already!” ;p

Yay! A recap of We Got Married!! I actually watched this episode today and just finished listening to your podcast where you guys were talking about We Got Married and other variety shows, so it was a pleasant surprise to read what you two had to say about this show. I’ve been watching this show since the first season so I totally agree with the whole fake setup yet realistic approach that attracts viewers. That’s why I’m still watching this show bc even though it’s blatantly scripted, I enjoy those parts where the couples actually get nervous and awkward, especially when they are first meeting each other. And it doesn’t hurt when an actor or idol I like gets ‘married’ or I end up liking someone who I hadn’t known much about before. Today’s episode was so funny with the sogaeting and I was seriously cringing for Dong-hae bc I knew he would end up making things ten times worse as the ‘3 ho’. lol Looking forward to what happens with the pairings in the next episode.

I LOVE the Woojung couple to bits. Lee Jangwoo is completely loveable & so is Eunjung when she’s not being so prudish. But I love that they are less awkward and actually look and interact somewhat like a normal couple, rather than being so awkward like the YongSeo couple. There’s only so much of the prude act I can take and these guys are better than other couples.

Me too. I like that they are very natural and easy going. It doesnt feel forced. No offense, but Sora is cute but I find Leeteuk is a little fake. I feel like he wants attention and they’re too awkward that it makes me cringe. For ex. in the Christmas ep. he stood up many times many times, which I find unnecessary. While the Woojung was comfortable, and I loved how when Jangwoo hit the bricks, we can see from the back that Eunjung rushed to see if his hands were ok. It’s these small details that make me love the Woojung couple. From the Eunjung’s birthday jacket, their couple braclets, the way Jangwoo looks at Eunjung, and how Jangwoo’s mom loves Eunjung and cried. So cute!

Me too. I like that they are very natural and easy going. It doesnt feel forced. No offense, but Sora is cute but I find Leeteuk is a little fake. I feel like he wants attention and they’re too awkward that it makes me cringe. For ex. in the Christmas ep. he stood up many times many times, which I find unnecessary. While the Woojung was comfortable, and I loved how when Jangwoo hit the bricks, we can see from the back that Eunjung rushed to see if his hands were ok. It’s these small details that make me love the Woojung couple. From the Eunjung’s birthday jacket, their couple braclets, the way Jangwoo looks at Eunjung, and how Jangwoo’s mom loves Eunjung and cried. So cute! And Eunjung’s personality is a bit shy when it comes to skinship, however, they are the only couple that has so many kisses,lol

I don’t think Eunjung is being a prude. This couple is believable and easy going. Also if she’s a prude I don’t know what to call the other couples LOL. She is just private and knows she’s an idol. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff that gets said about Jangwoo on the T-ara forums.

I agree. Eunjung is an idol and she has to be aware and careful of her image and actions because they could really affect her career and the other members if they are criticized or reviewed negatively. I think Eunjung does a really good job of walking the line of being an idol and still being fun and entertaining.

Also, compared to like 90% of the other couples Jangwoo is getting A LOT of action! Woojung has kissed more in their 40 episodes then I think any other couple has ever~ I love Woojung, they are hilarious and the cat and mouse game between the two is the best part of the show right now.

I started watching Brave Couple, but I stopped because of lagging subs and now I won’t finish until they get married for real. If Brave Couple isn’t real, I no longer believe in true love.

LOVE variety roulette! My interest in wgm couples usual wanes after a while but i still think its a good show depending on the pairings, lettuce couple and adam couple are a favourite of mine and i love sora as well as teuk (suju fan here) so i love seeing more of ‘fighting junior’, i try to avoid the cringeworthy couples/moments but the awkwardness can be endearing 🙂 Thanks for this 😀

Hahahaha omg Donghae really is Ted! I’m laughing so much at the comment LOL.

I’ve only watched random episodes and clips of this show, but Lee Shi Young’s scenes stick with me. Back then I would just call her Gundam Girl. lol. AND she ended up dating Jun Jin for real. They were hilarious.

One thing that I find kinda strange ‘n funny is that these super popular idols get giddy, awkward around pretty females. Like, have they NEVER been in a rel’p? From what you two have described it seems the guys became uber-nervous than their female counterparts. As in, these actresses are up ‘n comers and hello, these guys are friggin’ SUJU for god’s sakes!! Mind bewildering!! When watching Running Man I think abt this as well! When KJK gets giddy I’m like how could perfect specimen of a man spazz like a green boy?!

Well, they’re really restricted because they’re idols, so the ability to meet/spark with/flirt with a pretty girl without doing it in secret might be a new and heady experience. I could see in Donghae’s brain particularly–“If I like her for real I can totally go for it but claim ‘it’s just for a show!’ if people get upset”. XD

I also get the impression that it’s okay in Korea to be emotionally open as opposed to in America. We have the ‘rule of cool’ where people try to show less interest the more interested they are, whereas for Korea that’s apparently not true at all.

wow didn’t know idols were soo restricted. I really liked Donghae for the brief period of time I followed SUJU. He always claimed he wants to have a family viz sweet and endearing. I wudda thought he’d have a gurl already coz he’s absolutely gorgeous. I just wish that the bigwigs don’t stunt their agencies’ actors or idols’s social growth. It’s ok to be awkward etc but to not be able to hold a decent conversation makes me a little worried for these hardworking and deserving of companionship actors/idols. Let’s not forget the role those crazy netizens who’d prolly hate on the couple play in this. Quite a vicious circle, eh?

They’re really restricted. All hell broke loose in late 2010 when news of SHINee member Jonghyun dating Shin Sekyung was made public. Seriously the first time 2 young celebs, a popular idol and fast-rising actress to boot, was reported to be dating officially. Apart from official promotional activities, Jonghyun ended up being forced into seclusion by his company, not even getting individual TV appearances like his group members. Sekyung was luckily shooting for her movies far away from Seoul. They’ve broken up now, but Jonghyun’s hardly ever been on talk shows ’cause everyone knows he’ll get asked about Shin Sekyung.

That’s retarded! From what you’ve mentioned it’s like he committed a grave mistake to be treated like a social pariah! While there are many other reasons to attribute for this but no wonder a lot of the Korean celebs are single….atleast publicly/officially are single! Also, all that fanservicey thing is too much….why’d you wanna feed those crazy netizens’ obsession!! No wonder they’d rather want their idols to be gay than be straight and in a rel’p!!

39 RossiJanuary 23rd, 2012 at 10:15 PM

Wah…a recap of my first serious K-ent obsession “We got married”. Now I just have to ask, girlfriday, which couple did you want to go from reel to real? And which one did you think did? if only for a bit of time?

Apparently a lot of fake couples in the show end up getting married though. Or that’s what I heard. I could be wrong! So maybe it’s not all fake? Nickhun and Victoria’s didn’t look fake for sure (although they were too lovey dovey for my taste). Apparently even his grandma thought Nickhun looked too invested for it to be just for a show.

I’ve been watching since S1, and to the best of my knowledge, not ONE couple of WGM ever went on to get married.

I adored Hwang Bo and Hyun Joong on WGM – they were flat-out funny, but as far as having romantic chemistry, I have to disagree with a lot of the posters here. When their stint ended on WGM, Hwangbo only heard from KHJ once more – a text on her birthday and that was it.

Hwang Bo and Hyun Joong are celebrities. Although the couple became popular I don’t think they would risk telling the public that they remained in contact after the show.

First of all, it’s not good for the Boys Over Flowers promotion. Doing so would make it hard to accept the GHS/KHJ pairing. As KHJ said in interviews, he wants people to focus on BOF and forget about WGM. As a celebrity, it’s understandable that he doesn’t want to be labelled as “shillang” all the time.

Also, even though the ssangchu/joongbo couple has a lot of fans, revealing that they are in contact would only result in fanwars and a lot of backlash. Considering the amount of backlash hwangbo received at the start, it would be wise for them to say that they didn’t meet aftwards since doing otherwise would only blow things out of proportion. Especially if they admit having a romantic relationship, which I’m not saying they had.

Another thing to consider is hwangbo’s personality. She’s got a lot male friends and she’s one of the boys. According to her friends, she’s great at making friends and she treasures friendship. I think it’s obvious from the show that the two have formed a bond and you can even see it when they were caught off guard by the camera during the jeju episode. I don’t think that hwangbo would just ignore him afterwards.

That’s why I don’t believe these two when they say that they lost contact after the show ended. I honestly believe that they atleast became friends after months of shooting together. And the delusional side of me believes that maybe they dated XD

Most of the couples do take wedding pictures, but that’s about it. No real wedding bells ringing here…though Lee Shi Young & Junjin apparantly dated for a while after their WGM stint ended (if my memory serves me right). And I totally agree that the Khuntoria couple was abit too lovey dovey though; Lettuce couple & Yongseo are still the best!

Hyorin is with him on the new WGM ‘spin-off’, if I recall correctly. I think they did the blind dates, picked the couple who hit it off the best as a new WGM couple (Donghae and EunSo you said?), and for the rest it’s a one-off thing.

I flove this performance. I wish I knew more about traditional music so that I could appreciate it more fully, but in my inexpert opinion it seemed like they both did a great job with the traditional style performance.

…but I still don’t understand what the show is supposed to be about. XD

I just start watching WGM, i like Leeteuk-Sora better when they were in getting-to-know-each-other-super-awkward-mode. now while they still cute but a bit scripted (i know its scripted, but). Leeteuk also has this way to do Grand gestures which is too much, i like him better when he’s awkward-speaking to Sora standee mode.

I think I JUST DIED. Never thought in years that JB would watch, let alone recap wgm.. And of all things, a Teukso wgm.

AND mention how i met your mother… AND seem to enjoy suju. Goodness me but that’s too much awesomeness for me to bear.

All I can say is thank you, thank you, and thank you!!

For those asking what to start with, i would say all couple from season one, namely ansol, lettuce, alex-shinae, ant, kangji couple.
The gundam couple was funny at times too. lol. and then there’s the popular adam, yongseo and khuntoria couples. The brave couple was not bad too.
Lettuce couple is my all time favourite, then kangji/ansol/yongseo the close seconds but Teukso are FAST FAST edging up to come up on top of even Lettuce (never thought that would happen).
As for idols knowing how to play an instrument, you’d be surprised but all suju guys can play at least one, and more than half of them several instruments. and about half of them know how to play them well. ^^

XD Yay~! This is my new variety show. I actually started watching because I like Leeteuk from Strong Heart and after seeing the awkward preview of him and Sora, I decided to give it a go. lol…they’re so awkward and he’s like a teenager in front of her but I think its sweet. I also think he might really start to like her and he did mention in one episode that he’s afraid of where his feelings are seriously going.

Then I picked up Woojung, cause I like Lee jang Woo. They’re way different and much more comfortable (naturally) and I like how all Jang Woo seems to want is skinship. He also seems to have a naturally roving eye and its cute how they argue.

Since there are so many comments about Season 1, I think I’d like to pick it up….but…..there’s that ‘time’ issue. -_-‘

Donghae gets his wish, I heard. He went to a date with Sohn Eunsoo, and they have been considered as new couple in WGM… I like both of them, but on the other side, I don’t really like that WGM filled by SuJu members..
Maybe the producers are looking for better rating, and given that Lee Teuk is going to army soon, they want to replace with another Suju member.

I love love this show, it’s weird at the beginning, but with right chemistry(s?) you get cute, endearing date shows.

I always have special place for Alex-Shin Ae couple, I think Alex fell for her for real, but she didn’t and it made me so sad when they left and when she got married.

I won’t recommend Ant Couple ( Seo Inyoung – Crown J ) to variety newbies, especially who don’t know SIY’s (screen) persona. I hate her at first but after sometimes, I just love their dynamics.

1.5th season was the less memorable too me, but I remembered I started to like Lee Shiyoung because she’s so sassy and outgoing, and Jun Jin were so surprised that behind her sweet appearance, she’s so badass.

2nd season, I love all the couples! Jo Kwon – Ga In, Yonghwa – Seohyun, Nichkhun – Victoria.
Because of all of them are idols, hence younger in age ( compared the prev season ), watching them felt like We’re Dating than We Got Married.

I kinda agree about it becoming ‘the super junior show’, but on the other hand if you put ‘idols that can do variety’ in a hat SuJu is statistically the most likely to come up. XD Combined with the fact that they’re not currently promoting and you’ve got something a lot more appealing for a PD than many other options.

I also agree about season 1.5. The producers wanted to have something more structured I guess, but they went to far and it just became ridiculous. The ‘concepts’ killed the spontaneity and realness that is the reason people like the show, imo.